[jet_32951]

Could be but my understanding is the D stands for débrouiller (se débrouiller = take oneself out of the fog). Kind of like the American "National Awareness Day" where people are encouraged to extract their heads and take note of the people in their surroundings.

[layer8]

(Se) débrouiller really means “to get by”/“to make do”/“to cope”/“to manage (be able to handle)”. Système D refers to managing a situation with a make-shift or unconventional solution.

[jeffrallen]

I learned the term while learning french, working for Médecins sans Frontières Suisse. It was most definitely translated as démerde, not débrouiller.

[crubier]

I'm french, and both "se débrouiller" and "se démerder" mean exactly the same thing. "se démerder" is just more familiar/foul.